


Escape, Deceive, Betray, Survive

by JediBatman



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-27
Updated: 2018-05-05
Packaged: 2019-04-13 18:49:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14118657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JediBatman/pseuds/JediBatman
Summary: How did Captain Phasma survive the Starkiller base attack? This is how.





	1. Escaping a trash compactor

**Author's Note:**

> This is an alternative theory on how Captain Phasma tried to survive the Starkiller base attack. She has to use her mind, her military training, het negotiation skills, and most of it her ruthlessness. Will she make it till the end? And if yes what price will she have to pay?

The First Order, a militaristic organization created by former members of the Galactic Empire was ready to attack the newly formed Galactic Republic. Their purpose was to destroy the Republic and take its place as the ruler of the Galaxy.  
The first step of their plans was the destruction of the Hosnian System, a group of five densely populated planets in the Core Worlds of the Galaxy. The Hosnian System was where the economical, political, and military center of the Republic was. Using the Starkiller Base, a powerful superweapon, the First Order managed to destroy the Hosnian System in one swift motion. It is the beginning of the war.

The only immediate obstacle against the First Order is the Resistance, a splinter group of fighters led by the legendary General Leia Organa. The Resistance launches an attack against the Starkiller base. It is a difficult attack because the Starkiller Base is protected by energy shields the Resistance X-wing fighters cannot penetrate. Only if someone manages to disable them will the Resistance have a fighting chance.

The Galactic Civil War legend Han Solo, accompanied with his friend Chewbacca and Finn, a former First Order trooper managed to penetrate the base defenses and capture Captain Phasma, one of the few people who had authorization to shut down the base defense system.

Captain Phasma was in a dilemma. On the one hand she could refuse to cooperate and lose her life. On the other hand, she could cooperate and save herself but doom the base. 

Phasma looked to her left. Chewie, that tall and powerful Wookie was aiming her with his bowcaster, a type of crossbow that fired energy bolts. An idea crossed her mind, a plan that under specific circumstances could save her live. She pressed a button and then a sequence of buttons. The shields were down.

What would they do? Would they kill her now that her role had been fulfilled? Would they take her prisoner? Or would they set her free believing she would never admit her mistake to her superiors? After all, there was no shortage of First Order captains. Executing her for dereliction of duty would be easy.

What would they do?

 

It was dark, it was cold, it was dirty, and worst of all, it smell like hell. It was one of the hundreds of trash compactors the Starkiller Base had. And Captain Phasma was inside it. 

Phasma had a bad feeling about the whole situation. If the Resistance had managed to penetrate the ground defenses, it was possible they would penetrate the aerial defenses as well. And despite its strength, the Starkiller Base had one weak spot that a skilled pilot could exploit. Granted, the Starkiller Base was better designed than the Death Star but if that pilot hit that particular place, everything would be gone. It would not blow up in an instant like the Death Star had but they would only have a limited amount of time to evacuate the planet it blew up.

The three Resistance members who had captured her hadn't bothered to thoroughly search her. They hadn't discovered the hidden dagger in one of her boots, two hidden detonators in another, and hidden explosives in parts of her armor. These explosives were very strong and only worked with the detonator. A direct blaster hit could not set them off. They were also waterproof.

Phasma carefully removed half the explosives from her armor. They would be enough for the task at hand. The detonator had a small timer and she set it for twenty seconds. She found a hole in one of the trash compactor walls and...

...stopped. She heard footsteps approaching. They were many and they were the typical footsteps First Order troops made. She could scream for help but she chose not to. She would be humiliated to her subordinates. In addition, she would have to face her superiors. They would soon put two and two together and realize why she had been there. Then she would either be an incompetent and negligent coward or a traitor or a scapegoat. In all three cases she would be facing a firing squad.

She could hear explosions outside. She could also hear the constant sound anti-aircraft weapons made trying to shoot down Resistance fighters. A few seconds later she heard a crushing noise and felt a faint vibration. It had been a shot down fighter aircraft. She couldn't tell whether the plane had been a First Order or a Resistance one and she didn't care. 

Captain Phasma approached the small hole. She could hear footsteps from the other side of the wall. It was a corridor and she knew where it was heading. She could also see there was a small crack on the wall. It was not as sturdy as it should had been. 

Phasma pressed the detonator button and hid behind two big garbage bags for cover. The seconds slowly passed and then a loud explosion destroyed the wall. 

The explosion was loud and it was only a matter of time before someone came to investigate it. Phasma removed the dagger from her boot and cut one of the two trash bags. The bag was full of discarded wood, which meant it was not that smelly. Then she stood next to the hole and put the bag on top of her. It was an average disguise but the inside of the compactor was dark and they would not immediately recognize her.

A few seconds later, two stormtroopers entered the trash compactor to investigate. One of them moved to the center of the compactor while the second one stood still two steps away from Phasma covering the first. 

It was the moment of truth for Captain Phasma. There would be no turning back if she chose to do what she had in mind. So far she could avoid the accusations of treason. But not any more. You either face the execution squad for treason or for incompetence. You die anyway.

Another explosion was heard outside. It was her opportunity. In a swift motion, Captain Phasma approached the nearby stormtrooper from behind. Holding the dagger with her left hand, she put it on the weak spot of his neck armor and cut his carotid artery. Her right arm went to his belt where his blaster pistol was holstered. It was faster taking his pistol than turning him around and trying to pick his blaster rifle from his dead hands. She drew his pistol and shot the second stormtrooper in the back. She shot him again in the head for good measure. Then dropped the trooper she had killed with her knife to the compactor floor facing upwards. She picked his rifle, his belt, and his radio and shot him in the head. She did not want to take any chances. 

A few seconds later Captain Phasma exited the trash compactor. She hoped she didn't smell too much. She put the blaster pistol and the radio in their belt holsters and held her rifle in a defensive stance. 

Two stormtroopers approached her. They moved like rookies, took cover like rookies, and were certainly rookies. They stopped when they saw her. "Captain Phasma there is a hole in the wall."

"I know. I just came here", she replied. "OK get in and I'll cover you. Carefully!" The stormtroopers obeyed and entered the compactor. Phasma followed them. She fired twice with her rifle, then twice more killing them both.


	2. Killing is sometimes the best option

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After having killer four of her own people, Phasma realises she has to kill more in order to survive. Will she do it again?

Phasma examined her options. If the Resistance attack failed she only had to cover for her negligence in allowing the defenses to be breached. She only had to orchestrate some events and she had a way to do that. If, on the other hand the attack succeeded things would get ugly very soon. Fortunately, she had a plan for that as well.  
Captain Phasma followed the corridor. It led to a hidden spacecraft base. If the Resistance succeeded, they would load the transports and escape. Another corridor led to a room where data from sensors, cameras, and other sources was stored. It was the Data Center room, an important but somehow neglected part of Starkiller Base. It was her destination. 

"Ready to fire! One minute left", a loud voice announced. Soon the Resistance would be history, unless...

"Main oscillator hit! Main oscillator hit!" Starkiller Base absorbed energy from nearby stars and released them through hyperspace and the main oscillator was the component that controlled the process. If an X-wing fighter managed to penetrate their defenses and hit the oscillator the base would blow up. Fortunately, unlike the Death Star, there was time to abandon the base if hit. Phasma had time to survive.

"Abandon the base! Abandon the base!" Captain Phasma moved forward to coordinate the abandonment attempts. She had to play that role till she found suitable transport for her. She also needed to ensure the data boxes would be under her control.

Every day, the Data Center gathered data from a vast array of sources. Every four weeks, the center technicians made three copies of all security data created during the previous four-week period. One copy went to a secure location in Starkiller Base. The second one went to the First Order headquarters and the third one to a secure location in the Outer Rim. In case of a base destruction, the technicians had orders to immediately gather whatever data was available and put it in special data boxes for immediate transport. 

The situation was chaotic and that suited her. An idea crossed her mind. She could do it but it would be hard. It required speed, precision, and intimidation. It also required her to not hesitate to kill multiple times. 

Captain Phasma approached the Data Center. As she expected, most of its personnel had abandoned it. Two four member teams were supposed to be there, each one led by a sergeant. According to the escape protocol, a four member Stormtrooper group would enter the room and escort the first group to a small VIP hangar where they would take a transport. The moment they entered the transport, the Sergeant who led the group would send the all clear signal and the stormtroopers would go to escort the second group. 

The moment the four technicians and the four stormtroopers exited the data center, Phasma approached them. It was time to use her social skills and the spirit of camaraderie low ranking members of the armed forces have with each other.

"I might need to pull rank to clear a path for you Sergeant", Phasma said. "I just want to help", she said. "I know what you are carrying"

"I appreciate that Captain", the sergeant said. He didn't suspect a thing.

The corridor was narrow. A closed door was in front of them. The moment they reached it, Phasma closed the door behind them. It was soundproof and that made her task easier. She was standing behind one of the stormtroopers. In a swift move, she unholstered her knife and put it on the stormtrooper's neck. Using her rifle one handed, she fired a burst to the nearest stormtrooper, killing him. 

Phasma was a crack shot with the F11 rifle the First Order had. Every day she fired more than two hundred simulated shots with it. Using is one handed was easy for her. Her second burst killed the Sergeant. There were still six opponents alive but one of them was a hostage she used as a human shield and two more were unarmed. The three armed opponents tried to take a clear shot at her but they didn't make it. Phasma fired a third burst and one more stormtrooper fell to the ground.

The two technicians had not the level of experience stormtroopers had. Two quick bursts and they were both gone. She then pushed the dagger to the hostage's neck while shooting the two remaining technicians.

It took her less than ten seconds to kill them all. Phasma did not worry about someone discovering her crime. In a few hours at most, the base would be gone. So far she had killed twelve people. She would not hesitate to kill more. 

Explosions could be heard throughout the base. The vibrations were becoming stronger and stronger. The end was getting closer. Phasma entered the Data Center again. She could kill the other four technicians but she wanted them alive. They were her escape plan.

"OK ladies and gentlemen. We move. I will escort you to the Outer Rim. Don't worry we are all going to make it". She could be very friendly and reassuring when she wanted to. She gestured them to pick the box up.

"We are supposed to meet our escort", one of the techs said.

"Listen. The base is collapsing. We don't have much time. Why don't you just call your escort?", she asked. The Sergeant who led the group did so. There was no reply. 

"What happened?", the Sergeant asked.

"I suppose something went wrong", Phasma said. "Follow me!" 

Two minutes later, they had approached the transports. All of them were big ones, capable of carrying more than a hundred people each. Each one of them had a ten member crew. She approached one of them.

"OK, lieutenant. What are you waiting for?", Captain Phasma asked the transport commander. "The data needs to reach its destination."

"I have no orders to transport any data boxes", he replied. "I am trying to fill the transport with as many people as I can."

"The data boxes and the technicians are to reach the headquarters. General Hux's personal orders", she said. Captain Phasma was tall and intimidating and that made her more convincing. 

"All right Captain. You and the techs may enter."

When the transport was loaded to capacity, its commander closed the hatch and flied to the atmosphere. They had to fly as high as possible before the base blew up.


	3. The First Steps of the Plan

The transport had barely left the Starkiller atmosphere when the planet disintegrated. Fortunately, they were too far away to suffer any damage. Others were not so lucky. A number of transports never took off and others never reached a reasonable altitude. In addition, many thousands of First Order troops never entered the transports. Captain Phasma suspected there were not enough transports for everyone anyway.  
Captain Phasma was not a First Order fanatic and she barely cared about their ideology. She only became a part of them because she believed they were the rising power in the Galaxy. She had found a useful employment with them as an officer and combat instructor.

She did not feel sadness for the end of Starkiller Base. That weapon had killed tens of billions. Its destruction meant many billions of people would not die in the war. She was sad for the people killed in the base but they were a hundred thousand times less than the ones killed in the Hosnian System and a million times less than the ones who would die if the base had survived the attack.

It was time for her to think. The Starkiller Base was gone. The First Order leaders would investigate what happened. The first question they would ask would be how the Resistance fighters had penetrated the defenses. Because someone had lowered the shields would be the answer. There were no eye witnesses to connect her with that but the log files and the camera footage could confirm it was her. 

Even if there was no data to confirm her involvement, Phasma knew how the First Order worked. These were not people who would step up and accept responsibility if they could pass the blame to someone else. Captain Phasma had no connections with high ranking officers. She was useful to them but not one of them. They would not hesitate to use her as a scapegoat. 

What options did Captain Phasma have? Option one, she could play dead. She would try to escape and hide somewhere, trying to start a new life. She immediately dismissed the idea. She had no connections outside the First Order. Besides, in a matter of weeks the galaxy would be in their hands. They would use DNA testing and sooner or later they would find her. Then they either would execute her without a trial or execute her with a trial. It made no difference. 

Option two would be to deliver the data box to the Outer Rim. Then she would get a pat on the back for her contribution...and then a few days later someone would see the incriminating video. Then they would check the log file in the console that she had used to lower the shields.

Captain Phasma hadn't used her own codes to lower the shields. She had used the ones a Colonel had. She hoped there would be enough time for her to actually visit the Data Center, erase the camera data and then "accidentally" learn the colonel's codes had been used. Then she would have to visit him, "comfort" him and try to "arrest" him only for the colonel to "resist" arrest and die by her own hand. The fact that the attack had been a success made things more complicated. She not only had to erase the camera data, she had to ensure the colonel would not be alive to oppose her. 

It was time for her to act. She was the highest ranking officer on board the spaceship, and she had a plan. It was time to go to Step One. She approached the head of the technicians team. 

"Sergeant, I would like to have a word with you. Follow me." She led him to a small empty, windowless area that acted both as makeshift command center and mess hall. She gestured him to sit on a table, while she closed and locked the door behind her. 

To make him more at ease, Phasma removed her helmet. She had a beautiful face with elegant characteristics, a pair of piercing blue eyes and combed blonde hair. Captain Phasma was a real beauty. She noticed a hint of a smile on the Sergeant's face. She smiled back.

"What I am going to say here is strictly off the record. Do you understand Sergeant? We are in a mess and I will need your help to sort things out. Understood?"

"I will help however I can, Captain. What would you like me to do?"

"Sergeant, look at me. I removed my helmet to show you I am not disfigured or ugly or problematic in any way. Do you know why I hide my face behind this helmet?"

"Because your helmet protects your face from enemy fire, Captain."

"It is more than that. The helmet can stop up to medium blaster hits but I also wear the helmet for intimidation. Do you like my face Sergeant? Don't be afraid to answer. I remind you we are off the record."

"As a matter of fact I do Captain."

"The bad thing with competent people like me or you is that our not so competent superiors think they have all the answers and sidestep us. I know it is the sergeants who run the First Order and not the Generals. They always have and they will always do", she said with a smile. She had a beautiful smile and the Sergeant smiled himself. 

"The big bosses cared about the data but do you think they cared about your group or the other one Sergeant?", Phasma asked.

"I really don't know but I suppose..."

"Let's say they wouldn't try really hard to ensure you survived after you delivered the data boxes", she interrupted. 

"But you did Captain. You helped my team survive and..." She interrupted him again.

"Between you and me, General Hux hadn't given me orders about that. It was my initiative to save you...because I believe that all four of you deserved it more than some high ranking morons with lots of attitude and connections."

"I don't know what to say Captain."

"You don't have to say anything Sergeant. You deserved it. Now, as I said before, there are lots of morons of high rank. I believe you have met more than a lot, haven't you Sergeant?"

"As a matter of fact, I have Captain."

"Incompetence can be tolerated in periods of peace when the stakes are low. But in a war... I have serious reasons to believe that the attack on Starkiller Base had inside support."

"Captain, don't you think that..."

"Think of that Sergeant. We had ten times more fighters. We had anti-aircraft guns, an energy shield their missiles could not penetrate and a lot of infantry. Yet they managed to blow the base up. Why didn't the energy shield protect us? Why didn't it work?"

"Are you suggesting they infiltrated us Captain?"

"Yes. I am also suggesting someone in the First Order used his or her codes to deactivate the shields. Someone high ranking."

"If that is the case..." Phasma cut him short. 

"I am not saying that person is a traitor. They might have kidnapped him or her. However, it is a mess. They just dance into our most formidable base, kidnap a high ranking officer and then deactivate our shields? This is not just incompetence Sergeant. This is institutionalized incompetence."

"I think you are right Captain." He lowered his voice. "How can I help?" Phasma shot him one of her beautiful smiles.

"I know I am not high ranking enough but I need you to give me access to the data box. It will be a strict read only access. I don't have authorization for more anyway. And not a word to anyone. Understood?"

"Yes, Captain. I will be glad to help. After all, if that officer is indeed a traitor and if he has survived, he might cause additional harm."

"You are right Sergeant. Now let's get to work. I trust you enough to ask you to see some of the data yourself. And remember: not a word to anyone." Captain Phasma stood up, put her helmet on her head again and moved to the door.

 

It had worked as expected, Phasma thought. She had used the low rank dislike for the higher ups to her advantage. She had told some convincing lies to the Sergeant and that made her help her. 

The truth was that Phasma could manipulate the data. She could not doctor them but she could selectively erase them. She had some specialized software in her datapad that could do that, a gift from one of her many lovers in Starkiller Base. 

Captain Phasma searched her uniform for her datapad. Fortunately, the Resistance hadn't taken it. It was a small, black, four inch rectangular palmtop computer. It was capable of viewing videos, radio communications and written text. It also had some specialized software.

Since the Starkiller Base was blown up, the First Order had to send capital ships to evacuate its surviving personell. Phasma estimated that about half of the people of the base had survived. Dozens of capital ships would be required to save them. They would have to divert them from military operations. It would take some time for them to come. Phasma had to take advantage of that. 

Phasma raised her eyes and looked at the spaceship command center. It was time to execute the second part of her plan. She stood up, put the datapad in one of her pockets and entered the command center. Four crew members were there. The other six were manning the six anti-fighter guns of the ship. She approached the commander of the ship, a young lieutenant. He seemed too young and too low ranking to command a transport as big as that. She decided to take advantage of that.

"Commander, may I have a word with you? Do you have some time?" She was respectful and polite. She had to. 

"Of course Captain", he replied. She led her to the windowless conference room. While walking, she stopped and asked for the tech sergeant to follow them. When both men were inside the room, she closed and locked the door.

"OK gentlemen, thank you for being here", Phasma said and sat. Then she removed her helmet. It had the desired effect on the Lieutenant, making him calmer and more friendly.

"The situation is somehow messed up. Sergeant, could you please inform the Commander?" She could have said Lieutenant but the Commander sounded more respectful. Lieutenant means you somehow replace someone. Commander means you are the boss. She had to be as diplomatic as possible.

The Sergeant said everything Captain Phasma had already told him about the security breach in the base and her suspicions about someone who had either betrayed or been too much of a coward. The Lieutenant seemed uneasy hearing all that.

"I asked the Sergeant to inform you because we are going to need your help. Besides, it would be disrespectful to be on board your ship and not sharing information with you." Phasma played her cards well. She wanted to appear respectful and considerate. It was also good to stoke a pilot's ego.

"First of all, we are going to need total secrecy. Two, we might make a detour. We might need to go to the Outer Rim Archives immediately. Do we have enough water, fuel, food and oxygen for that?", she asked.

"We will need to hyper jump", the Lieutenant said. "I don't know if the fuel the other consumables will suffice."

"OK Commander", Phasma said. "Could you please check that? But remember. You are not to inform anyone else. That colonel is incompetent unlike you or the Sergeant. Such people maintain their positions using their connections." Both men gave her a knowing nod.

"For that reason, we have to be careful. The Sergeant will bring the data box here and I will examine it with his assistance. We will maintain course to our closest base but if the Sergeant or I find something interesting, we might change course."

"Very well Captain."

"One more thing Commander. We have a hundred stormtroopers on board. I am sure some of them could help your crew. For example, I can find trained troopers to help your gunner crew members. Would you like me to do that?" She could of course just do it since she outranked him. Showing respect for his authority though would be better. 

"Of course Captain. It would be very helpful." Captain Phasma smiled with her beautiful smile.

"For starters I am going to find gunners. Please let me know what else you are going to need. I suppose I have your permission to visit the command center to inform you about that or other matters", she said.

"Certainly Captain", he replied. 

 

The second part of her plan had also worked. Perhaps it was time for part three: to somehow sabotage the transport radio...in a way nobody could blame her for that.

She also had to think. She already had killed fourteen people. How many more would she have to? She looked around her. Ten? Twenty? A hundred? She really didn't care.


	4. New Developments

A few hours passed. Phasma assumed overall command of the stormtroopers and assigned some of them to man the transport guns as she had promised the ship Commander. She also found some troopers and technicians with knowledge of astral navigation who could help the ship's navigator.  
At the same time, she and the tech Sergeant had work to do. She assigned him the log files while she looked at camera footage from inside the base using her datapad. As she expected, the data from the day of the attack had to be hastily assembled and for that reason they had low quality encoding. Also,o as she expected, not all cameras worked all the time. There were rules that every camera had to work twenty-four standard hours every day but nobody really enforced them. Would she get lucky?

She checked the camera. There were five lightly armed operators in the room. She recognized them. Then the door opened and a big, hairy Wookie appeared. He was Chewbacca. One of the operators tried to grab his blaster. Chewbacca fired with his bowcaster, killing him. Then he moved forward. Two other men followed him. One of them was Han Solo and the other one was FN-2187. He had changed his name to Finn. The other four operatives tried to draw weapons but they died within half a second. 

Phasma checked the video a few minutes forward. She saw herself with her shining chrome armor entering the room. She had never expected a Resistance infiltration and she had been complacent. Then the trio took her prisoner and forced her to enter her password at gunpoint. She entered the password of a colonel she had slept with. Of course the Resistance didn't know about that detail. 

The only problem now was to delete the specific video. Fortunately, she had the right software available. She selected the video and pressed the delete button on her datapad touch screen. One piece of evidence gone.

A few minutes later the Sergeant came. He had some news for her.

"There was too much data to look for, so I decided to make things simpler by..." Captain Phasma didn't pay any attention but she let him believe she did. She was bored by the technical details. Fortunately, wearing her helmet meant the Sergeant could not see the bored expression in her face.

"I found that someone lowered the shields using the console there." He showed her the location on a digital map on his datapad. 

"Good work Sergeant. But I need to know who did it. I checked the cameras in various areas where such consoles existed. There is no camera footage for that particular console." 

"As you know Captain, people not always press the record button or..."

"I know. It is not your fault Sergeant. But now there is no way to prove who did it. Or is it?"

"There is a way Captain. Comparing the password used with the documented password users I reached the conclusion the person responsible was..." Captain Phasma held her breath. 

"Colonel Mons Conadi."

"Oh come on Sergeant. Not him! Check your data!" Phasma was happy her helmet helped her hide her facial expressions. Lying was much easier that way. 

"I am certain. Look at my datapad to see for yourself Captain." He offered her his datapad. She took it. 

"That moron? His only skills are in wine testing and boasting about his uncle the Admiral. He cannot be a traitor."

"The data says..."

"You are right. I just can't believe it yet." 

"We need to find him Captain."

"Yes, we do. But remember. His uncle is too big in the First Order. We have to be discreet. Do you have his photo? We must search footage for him, to see which transport he took. I am sure he has escaped."

"How do you know..." She cut him short

"The ones with connections are always the first to survive. Never forget that. Now, please go to the ship's commander. Tell him I need to talk to him for an urgent matter." The Sergeant stood up and left.

A few minutes later, the transport Commander was inside the small conference room. Captain Phasma removed her helmet. 

"Sergeant, could you please inform the Commander about your findings? I know we are talking about classified data but I take full responsibility here."

"Very well, Captain." He told the Commander about the Colonel.

"My goodness!" the Commander said.

"We suspect the well-connected Colonel is either a traitor who plays dumb or a victim of blackmail or a simple coward who has been at the wrong place at the wrong time. 

"We have lost our biggest base gentlemen. Our Generals, Admirals, Supreme Leader Snoke himself will cry for blood. Even someone remotely connected to the destruction will face their wrath. Do we all agree on that?" Both men nodded.

"Colonel Conadi is more than connected. But no matter his connections, nobody is going to lift a finger to help him with the evidence we have against him. His only option is to suppress any knowledge of the evidence at hand. If we radio what we have, he will probably learn about them and we might face an attack by Resistance X-wings. And if they managed to blow up Starkiller Base, a single transport is not going to be an issue for them. Do we understand each other gentlemen?" Both men nodded again.

"Our only hope is to have a strong ally", she said. Then she explained them her plan. 

 

After the meeting was over, the Commander returned to the bridge while she and the Sergeant tried to locate Colonel Conadi. After a few hours, she found what she was looking for. Mons Conadi had boarded a transport in the VIP terminal of the base. It was a luxurious transport used by diplomats and senior military officers. According to the video footage, about forty relatively senior officers had boarded the transport. In addition, a small number of young female officers had entered the ship. "You brought your concubines with you. How predictable!", she said with disgust.

With careful observation, Phasma saw some of the characteristics of the ship. She also noted its name. She went to the bridge. The Commander was still there. 

"How is it going Commander?", she asked.

"The heavy dreadnought Fullminatrix has arrived. It is gathering survivors. There is a queue forming. There are also TIE fighters patrolling around us for protection."

She looked at the radar. A line with dozens of dots appeared in front of her eyes. Each one of them had a color and a name. After a few seconds she found what she was looking for. She finally had all the information she needed. 

"Follow me to the conference room. I will also inform the Sergeant." Less than a minute later their conference started.

"Gentlemen, we have proof the Colonel boarded this VIP transport". She showed them her datapad.

"Make contact with the Fullminatrix Commander. Ask for General Armitage Hux. Tell him it is from Captain Phasma with vital info."

"Will he accept the call?", the Commander asked.

"He will. The General is that rare senior officer who actually listens."

A few minutes later General Hux appeared in holographic form in front of them. 

"I hope it is important Phasma", Hux said. "I am trying to coordinate an evacuation here."

"We know who did it General", Phasma said. "But it is too risky talking from here. I request permission to board Fullminatrix. I will use an escape pod."

Hux thought for a second. "OK, I will arrange that. Be here as soon as possible." The transmission ended.

"Gentlemen, thank you very much for the assistance. I will talk to the General about you. You might even get a promotion out of that. OK Commander, I will need to use a one person escape pod. Send its identification data to Fullminatrix."

 

Phasma had some piloting skills. She could not pilot a TIE fighter but she could easily operate an escape pod. Reaching Fullminatrix was easy. She only had to use each ship of the queue as a beacon. 

A few minutes later she reached Anakin, a VIP transport. Thirty minutes later, she continued her path towards Fullminatrix. She reached the hangar bay and docked her pod. The moment she opened the hatch, a young officer stood to attention in front of her. The General had sent him. 

"Follow me please", he said. Phasma followed him until they both reached the Fullminatrix bridge. General Hux was there. 

"Dismissed Lieutenant", he told the young officer. Then he gestured Phasma to follow him. They entered a small conference room adjacent to the bridge. As soon as they entered, Hux closed and locked the door. Phasma turned to look at him.

"Talk to me Captain", he said.

"I have secured the data boxes General", she said. "I found out who helped the Resistance."

"I am listening."

"They lowered the shields, sir. That's why their X-wings reached the critical point."

"I already had reached that conclusion Phasma." Hux was impatient.

"Sir, a First Order officer lowered the shields. I know who."

"Who did it Captain?"

She removed the datapad from her belt. "Colonel Mons Conadi. We don't have video footage but we have the log files. His passwords are here."

"That idiot cannot even wear his pants right", Hux said.

"They either captured him sir or he played dumb. His uncle won't be happy about him either" Phasma said.

A small smile appeared on the General's face. Phasma knew why. 

"The data must be secured. I will arrange for the transport to get priority on the queue", Hux said.

"Good idea General", Phasma said. "I would also like to commend the transport Commanding Officer and the tech Sergeant responsible for the data boxes. They have shown a high level of cooperation, professionalism and last but not least discretion."

"They are both promoted one rank and both get a transfer to the Outer Rim. They will be safe but they will have to keep quiet."


	5. No more loose ends

The First Order consisted of two pillars of power: the Knights of Ren and the Army. Supreme Leader Snoke liked to use the tactic of divide and conquer among them in order both to ensure they would not conspire against him. Just like most militaristic organizations, the infighting spread to every level of the military hierarchy. Admirals disliked Generals, captains of different units disliked each other and so on.  
General Hux knew that after the destruction of Starkiller Base he would be very vulnerable. He knew the Knights of Ren would jump at the opportunity to discredit him and the army. He also knew the Admirals would not try really hard to support him.

But what if a well-connected nephew of a powerful and influential Admiral was responsible for the disaster? How would the Admiral react? Probably he would offer his assistance and his connections with other Admirals to Hux as an exchange for the latter's silence. Armitage Hux had just found a way out of mandatory retirement. 

 

The transports about to enter the Fullminatrix hangar were standing in prearranged positions. They didn't even have to move because the dreadnought tractor beams made all the necessary adjustments. In practice, a transport pilot could just sleep on the cockpit and do nothing.

The only exception had been the transport that carried the data boxes. It got a first priority arrangement. About an hour later, the more than a hundred people on it were safe on board Fulminatrix. Phasma was there, waiting for them. She saluted the ship Commander. 

"Follow me please." She led the Lieutenant and the Sergeant to a small conference room. She gave a small envelope each.

"Your promotions and your transfers. General's orders."

"How did...", the Commander tried to say. Phasma cut him short.

"I just told the truth about you", she said. "You leave for the Outer Rim with the first available transport."

"Thank you Captain", the sergeant said.

"Quite a day, right Sergeant? From almost losing your life to a promotion", she said. "Remember! What happened remains a secret. You will never tell a word anyone. Understood?"

"Yes Captain!" Both men saluted as if she was a General herself. She returned the salute and left.

 

The day was over for Captain Phasma. It was time for her to get some rest and then some sleep. Fortunately General Hux had pulled some strings and he had arranged for a cabin for her. It was a small one, only having enough room for a small bed, a small table, a chair and a small bathroom with a shower. He also had arranged for some food waiting her on the table. 

Phasma removed her chromium plated helmet and her armor. Then she locked the door. Only General Hux had the right to interrupt her. Under her armor, Phasma wore comfortable gray trousers, socks, a blouse and gloves. They formed a layer between her body and her armor. She removed them and then she removed her underwear. 

Captain Phasma was a tall and beautiful woman. She had an elegant yet highly trained and muscular body with six-pack abs and strong muscles everywhere. She was also very tall for a woman. Her height was 1.90, making her much taller even compared to men. 

After eating the bland dinner, Phasma entered the shower. It was time for her to relax a little. While washing her beautiful body, she remembered the last loose end she had to close. 

 

While still in her escape pod Phasma passed next to Anakin, the VIP transport that carried Mons Conady and more than forty other people on board. She slowed her pod to a crawl and approached Anakin.

She had debated it with herself. What should she do? The conclusion had always been the same: she would have to kill Mons Conady. She had thought about it many times during the past hours. There would certainly be eye witnesses. There was only one way to do it. 

"OK, be determined", she told herself. 

"Who is on board the pod?", a voice from the transport asked. 

"I have a message for Colonel Conady. From Admiral Conady. Let me through please. My code name is Martist."

"Never heard of that", the same voice said. Phasma observed one of the ship's defensive guns had taken aim at her. She stopped the pod.

"Inform the Colonel. The code name is Martist."

Martist was a combination of the worlds martial and artist. Phasma was an expert in martial arts and Conady thought he was an expert as well. She had given her the nickname Martist just to make fun of her. Phasma hadn't bothered. Despite his incompetence Mons Conady had been an acceptable lover who didn't demand much of her. He also never had suspected she had five more lovers in Starkiller Base and she met each of them at least twice a week. None of them knew anything about the other five.

She wondered for a brief moment how many of her lovers had survived. She didn't really love them but she somewhat cared for them. Would she ever meet the survivors again? Probably not. 

"Anakin to Martist. You may dock", the voice finally said. Phasma proceeded to the open hatch. The hatch closed the moment she docked. 

There were four gunners, one pilot, one copilot, and fort passengers on board Anakin. She would have to use strategy. Fortunately, she had studied the ship interior in her datapad and she had formulated a plan of action. 

Most of the people on board recognized her. After all she had a very characteristic height and chromium plated armor. Her lover was the first to approach her.

"Everything OK Phasma? The pilot told me about you."

"All is OK Colonel. I have a message from the Admiral. General Hux ordered me personally deliver it. But first, I will need to make some security checks. Could you please lead me to the captain of the ship?"

A few seconds later, Captain Phasma was in the bridge. Phasma closed the door for dramatic effect.

"We are trying to inform everyone. The Resistance has broken some of our communication codes. We inform everyone down the spaceship queue about that. You are not to use radio unless absolutely necessary. Understood?" 

"Understood Captain Phasma. Anything else?"

"Yes. The Admiral is worried about his nephew. After all, he barely survived the Starkiller Base attack. So he asked General Hux who ordered me to come here and check the ship's guns and defensive systems."

"Between you and me Captain", Phasma continued, "I believe you are a serious professional and I have no reason to check the ship. But orders are orders and the higher ups..."

"I understand. Suit yourself."

"Thank you Captain. One more thing. I have a message from General Hux. For security reasons, he did not want to transmit it himself. Could you please gather everyone not on duty in the diplomat's lounge?"

The diplomat's lounge was a very comfortable area in the back part of the ship. It was used as a rest area for the VIPs who traveled with the transport. It offered a panoramic view of the universe.

"As you wish Captain", he said. 

"And keep the shutters closed. The message is confidential. We don't want anyone outside the ship spying on us."

"Of course. I will close them myself."

"Thank you", Phasma said. Meet you there in a few minutes." She opened the door and left.

 

Five minutes later, Phasma was back in the bridge. Only the co-pilot was there. The pilot who was also captain of the ship waited her in the lounge. One minute later, Phasma was there as well.

"Is everyone here Captain?", she asked.

"Yes, Captain Phasma", he replied. She slowly turned her head. She counted forty-one people. She hadn't met anyone else while touring the ship with the exception of four gunners and the co-pilot.

"Very well." She checked and she saw the shutters were closed. None could see them from outside. With her left hand she reached her belt and tossed a concussion grenade. 

Phasma had extensive military training. In addition, she had a specialized helmet that absorbed the sounds and the intense light the grenade made. Ten seconds later, she drew her blaster pistol and started killing the gathered crowd one by one.

The first to go was the captain. He was one of the few armed people on board. She shot him twice, once to the chest and once to the head. Then she proceeded to kill the next one, and the next one, and the next one. About a minute later, she already had killed twenty people. Then two things happened at the same time: her blaster run out of ammo and the effect of the concussion diminished. 

Phasma had expected both things to happen. She immediately tossed another concussion grenade. After waiting ten seconds for its effects to stop annoying her, she approached the captain's corpse and took his blaster. Then she proceeded to continue her murderous work. 

It took her another minute but in the end all forty-one people were dead. She spent a few minutes checking and sporadically shooting. Mons Conadi was gone, shot four times for good measure. 

She made another visit to the four gunners. All of them were dead, killed by her dagger. She checked the bridge again. The copilot was on the floor with his neck cut. She checked the docking sequence. VIP transport Anakin was in queue. It was not expected to reach its destination for the next eight hours. That suited her just fine. 

There was not enough time. She quickly entered the captain's bathroom and removed her armor. Then she quickly and carefully washed it. No blood stains remained on her armor when she put it back. 

It was time for her to execute the final part of her plan. She entered the engine room. She knew about a weak spot, the part where an explosion would ignite the fuel and blow the ship up. She removed a small piece of explosives from a hidden part of her armor and a small detonator from one of her boots. She set it up to blow up in six hours.

Thirty minutes had passed from the moment she entered the ship when she entered the escape pod again and left. 

 

Captain Phasma exited the shower. She was completely naked. She approached the bed and checked the bed sheets. They were clean so she could sleep naked. That was the way she preferred it. She approached her armor and picked up the dagger and the blaster. She put them under the pillow like she always did. 

It had been a busy day for Captain Phasma. She had almost died in the Starkiller Base attack. She had to fix four loose ends: the cameras, the console codes, the eye witnesses, and the person she had framed for her negligence. In all, she had to kill more than fifty people.

Phasma was not the type of person who felt guilt when killing. She had killed many times in the past. Killing First Order people was not something she really cared about. She was a survivor and if killing her own people ensured her survival, so be it.

She checked the time. In four hours Anakin would blow up. The last loose ends would become galactic dust and everyone would accuse the Resistance for that. So be it.

Phasma closed her eyes. It had been a tiring day. Soon she was fast asleep.

Four hours later Anakin became a fireball in space.


End file.
